جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 30

Vivian's POVI stood there, frozen, my heart hammering against my ribs as Nathan walked toward me. The cool evening air brushed against my skin, raising goosebumps on my arms, but I barely felt it. All I could focus on was him… the familiar slope of his shoulders, the easy way he moved, the smile that spread across his face when he saw me.He looked the same as he always did. Warm eyes. Easy smile, the kind that crinkled the corners of his eyes. That familiar mop of brown hair falling across his forehead, slightly disheveled like he'd been running his hands through it. He was wearing a simple jacket, dark blue, zipped halfway, with his hands shoved in his pockets.Of all the people I could have run into tonight, it had to be him.Nathan Reid. My friend. The one person who had been consistently kind to me through everything. The one I had briefly, desperately considered asking to marry me when Ethan had initially turned down my offer. I hadn't, of course. I couldn't. It wouldn't have b

Vivian's POVI barely slept.The clock on my nightstand ticked through the hours, each minute crawling by like a slow death. I lay there, staring at the ceiling, replaying Ethan's words over and over in my head. “My mother wants to meet you. Eight o'clock. Don't mention Nathan, or Derek, or any of it.”I twisted the ring around my finger, watching the diamond catch the pale morning light filtering through the curtains. It was beautiful. A beautiful cage.I dragged myself out of bed, my limbs heavy, my mind foggy. The shower helped, the hot water pounding against my skin. I stood there longer than necessary, letting the steam fill the bathroom.I dried off and stood in front of my closet, staring at the limited options. What did one wear to meet the mother of a fake fiance? Something modest. Something respectable. I settled on a simple cream blouse and a navy blue skirt that fell just below the knee.I applied minimal makeup… just enough to hide the dark circles under my eyes and pulle

Vivian's POVThe invitations were heavy in my hands.Cream-colored cardstock, embossed with gold lettering, sealed with wax stamped with the Blackwell crest. Ethan handed me another stack, his expression unreadable. "These are for the remaining names on the list. We'll deliver the first ten personally. My men will handle the rest."I looked down at the names. Governors. CEOs. Philanthropists. People who moved in worlds I had only ever glimpsed from the outside."And the press?" I asked."Already done. The announcement hit the morning papers and every major news outlet. By tonight, the entire city will know you're about to become Mrs. Ethan Blackwell."I swallowed hard. There was no turning back now.The call came the next morning.I was standing in my tiny kitchen, staring at the rent notice pinned. My phone buzzed against the counter, the vibration rattling against the chipped ceramic tile. I picked it up without thinking, my thumb already swiping across the screen.And then I saw t

Derek's POVThe mansion was too quiet.I sat in my study, a glass of scotch dangling from my fingers, the ice long since melted into a watery dilution I didn't care about.My phone lay face-up on the desk, the screen dark. I had been staring at it for the better part of an hour, waiting for it to light up with news, with something, with anything that would make sense of the chaos clawing at the inside of my skull.The door creaked open."Darling?"I didn't look up. I knew that voice… soft, tentative, laced with the kind of concern that always felt just slightly performative. Charlotte. My fiancee. She was wearing a silk robe, her blonde hair loose around her shoulders."You've been in here all evening," she said, coming to stand beside my chair. Her hand found my shoulder, her fingers kneading the tense muscle there. "You didn't touch your dinner. Is something wrong?""No." The word came out flat, automatic. "I'm fine. Just work."She was quiet for a moment. I could feel her eyes on m

Vivian's POVThe man stood behind me, his jaw tight, his fists clenched at his sides.I stared at him, my breath coming in ragged gasps, my body still trembling from Derek's hands on me. The light caught his features… sharp jaw, dark eyes, that familiar face I had seen before. It was him."Nathan?"His expression softened, the tension in his shoulders easing as he saw recognition dawn on my face. "Hey, Vivian."Derek scrambled to his feet, his suit rumpled, a trickle of blood still seeping from his split lip. He pointed a shaking finger at Nathan. "You have no idea who you're messing with.""I know exactly who the fuck you are." Nathan's voice was steady and dangerous. "And I don't give a damn."Derek's eyes flicked between us. He laughed instead, bitter and hollow. "I'll let you go for now. But this isn't over, Vivian. You hear me? This isn't over."He turned, walked back to his car, and slid into the driver's seat. The engine roared to life, and he pulled away without looking back,